


Day 6 Midnight

by Azazel



Series: 30 Day Prompt Challenge [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, M/M, unhealthy relationship dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-24 08:12:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2574416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azazel/pseuds/Azazel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky wanders the Tower when he can't sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 6 Midnight

Day 6  
Midnight

When Bucky wandered the Tower at night it was almost never hard to find him. As good as he is at being a ghost he has developed a pattern since his return. More often than not he ends up at the vantage point any sniper of skill would take, the balcony that used to serve as Tony’s landing pad. Tonight is no exception. 

Steve knew it might be a bad night when Bucky refused to come to what they dubbed “family dinner” and instead retreated to the floor Tony set up for him before leaving for California. Bucky is still a long way from complete, or completely healed, but he has made such huge strides in his recovery it is easy to forget there are things that can set him back. Oddly, it hadn’t been something from his own past which triggered this bout of reticence. 

The wind whipping Bucky’s hair around his face wasn’t quite cold but it had chilled the metal of his arm far below body temperature. Steve made sure to make his presence known when he stepped out onto the balcony. Sometimes when Bucky needed distance he could be jumpy and had lashed out physically a few times when one of the others had surprised him. No matter how many times Bucky reassured him Steve always had to swallow his heart back into his chest when he saw Bucky sitting on the edge of the platform swinging his legs in the open air. 

On nights like this Steve usually had a hard time finding the right words to coax Bucky into opening up about what was bothering him. Normally, words weren’t enough, anyway. Despite how twitchy he was feeling Bucky needed a physical means of grounding himself and almost any touch would do, from holding his hand to fucking him against the wall in the gym. Tonight all it takes is Steve taking a seat behind him, bracketing him with his thighs and wrapping his arms around Bucky’s waist. 

Resting his chin on Bucky’s shoulder Steve murmurs, “Buck?”

Bucky sighs, “You think your life would be easier if I never came back?”

It takes a moment for Steve to reign in his initial reaction of panic and indignation. Finally he answers, “Easier how?”

“Come on, Steve, you know what I mean. I fell and you thought I was dead and then you fell. But then you came back. And you made a life for yourself. You found a new family, new friends. Someone to love. And then I came back and turned all that inside out. You lost Peggy and the Commandos because of me and now you lost SHIELD and Tony because of me.”

Taking a deep breath and squeezing his arms around Bucky Steve says, “Buck, if I had known you survived that fall I would have moved more than heaven and earth to find you. If I had known you were still alive when I thawed out I would have burned the world down to get to you. Sometimes I almost want to thank HYDRA for sending you to kill me ‘cause otherwise I never would have known you were still out there. And as long as you’re by my side I could lose everything right now and I’d be ok. I know it.”

Bucky is slightly stiffer in his arms but that doesn’t stop him from saying, “My therapist would say that’s unhealthy.”

“Yeah,” Steve chuckles, “mine has said that.” After kissing the back of Bucky’s neck just below his hairline Steve shuffles back and stands, offering his hand. Bucky blinks then takes Steve’s hand, the cold metal of his own hand sending tingling sparks to his brain at the contact with Steve’s hotter-than-normal skin. The metal arm makes Bucky heavier than he used to be by far but it doesn’t take much of Steve’s strength to lever him to his feet. Stepping in close Steve twines their hands together and leans in to kiss Bucky slowly, deeply.

Bucky sighs through his nose and pulls back after a couple of minutes. Raising one eyebrow he says, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You never did worry about keepin’ healthy before and apparently the serum didn’t change that. Might’ve even made it worse.”

Steve barks out a short laugh, one corner of his mouth lifting as he ducks his head. Bucky has to blink rapidly to clear the double vision of a much smaller Steve doing the same.

**Author's Note:**

> part of the same headcanon as [day 4](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2574389), [day 11](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2574587), [day 21](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2574818), [day 29](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2574980), [day 12](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2574602), [day 10](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2574533), [day 2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2574317) and [day 30](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2574995)


End file.
